Most Dangerous Jobs in America

According to a recent study for on-the-job fatalities by CNN, fishing, logging, and flying were the three most dangerous jobs in America. Fishing was once again the most dangerous job and one that looks less appealing by the moment as the fishing industry has taken a hit. Fishermen face a variety of perils including ice, storms, and boat malfunctions. Yes, it may not be as dramatic as getting eaten by a shark, but these are very real threats. Next in line was logging.

People die in this profession from being in the wrong place when trees fall and run-ins with equipment. The third most dangerous job went to commercial pilots. These are not the big jet-liners we often think about. Usually these are small pilots who do solo flights or ferry people in small almost bi-plane type aircraft. Such aircraft do not have the stability of a Boeing 747 craft and therefore is more prone to be effect by wind and bad weather.

What surprises me is that neither soldier or police officer made the list of the most dangerous jobs. I know many soldiers are home and not in combat zones but I would have thought that the deaths from those in Combat zones would offset it enough to make being a soldier one of the most dangerous jobs you can have. Police officers also fell way below fisherman and loggers and had about 1/5 of the deaths that fisherman did, I guess Fish are more tricky than criminals. I would have guessed that policemen suffer far more fatalities than fisherman if not for this report.

I suppose the reason why I think of soldiers and policemen when I think of dangerous jobs is because those are the ones shown on TV all the time. When these people die, they often become heros and the story is widespread. No one even knows if a fishermen or logger dies on the job.